A Volkswagen official said Monday the automaker is bringing in experts to see if Passats awaiting shipment from its Chattanooga assembly plant were damaged by hail.

He said that as the storms approached Friday, VW workers drove some of the vehicles parked in the plant's loading yard under its hail net, which is about 30 percent to 40 percent installed, said Guenther Scherelis, a VW spokesman.

Also, he said, VW workers transported some of the vehicles onto covered railroad transport cars on site. In addition, other Passats were moved back into the assembly plant.

But, Scherelis said, not all the cars were placed under cover, and those were undergoing scrutiny to assess damage.

VW is spending about $5 million on the massive hail net, made of a fabric, to protect much of its car loading yard.